A belated congratulation to The Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer of the Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ for winning the 2007 Shalom Award from Eden Theological Seminary. From Eden’s website:

Eden students presented the 2007 Shalom Award to The Reverend John Dorhauer, Missouri Mid-South Conference Minister (United Church of Christ), during Spring Convocation on April 10, 2007. This is the first Shalom Award to be given in six years.

The vision of shalom calls upon people to exhibit courage and leadership as they seek to speak and embody that vision in love. Since 1973, the community of Eden Theological Seminary has recognized special people who have labored to make the vision of shalom a reality in God’s world.

Dorhauer was nominated by Eden students Rick Oberle, Leah Atkinson and Jeff Mignerone. In making the nomination, the students said, “We feel that Reverend Dorhauer has exhibited this courage and leadership in exceptional ways in his ministry with the local UCC churches in the Missouri Mid-South Conference. Over the past year, as local churches reacted to the resolutions approved at General Synod XXV during the summer of 2005, Rev. Dorhauer’s efforts have redoubled in an attempt to open lines of communication, heal perceived wounds caused by distrust and misinformation, and be a pastoral presence to congregations, clergy and laity who are seeking to discern God’s will in their lives and their congregations.

“Rev. Dorhauer has gone ‘above and beyond’ the call of his office, dedicating his time and energy in incredible ways to focusing God’s call in the lives of the people of the United Church of Christ. The lives of prophets are never easy as they call people to address issues of injustice and oppression, and Reverend Dorhauer has dedicated himself to this Missio Dei. As members of the Eden community, we lift his actions up as examples for our ministries as well, and we hope that this Shalom Award in some small way be a token of our thanks for his fine leadership and faithful example.”

The Reverend Dorhauer graduated from Eden in 1988 with a Master of Divinity degree. Learn more about his call and experience at Eden.

John was a good friend to me when I was at Eden. He is well regarded throughout the United Church of Christ and has become a well known blogger on the site Talk to Action.  Let me note that my understanding is that John was chosen for this award over Jim Wallis.  This speaks volumes about the respect John holds in the Eden community and the UCC.

This just in over the wires:

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- The governor on Monday closed the loophole in state law that allowed the Virginia Tech gunman to pass a federal background check and buy the weapons used in the massacre.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine issued an executive order requiring that a database of people banned from buying guns include anyone who is found to be dangerous and ordered to undergo involuntary mental health treatment.

Seung-Hui Cho had been ordered to undergo psychiatric counseling after a judge ruled that he was a danger to himself.

Governor Kaine took what can only be described as a sensible step in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy.

But our goal as a nation should be to do everything possible to get guns off the streets and out of our homes where they create a danger for children and our families. Hunters are really the only legitimate users of guns and they don’t need assault rifles to hunt ducks.

The Rev. Tony Campolo and Rabbi Michael Lerner are proposing a way to end the war in Iraq. Campolo writes on God’s Politics:

First, we propose that American and British troops be replaced by an international police force composed of those who better understand the Iraqi culture. Leaders in Saudi Arabia proposed such a solution almost three years ago. Americans and Brits are not only devoid of any grasp of the language and the religion of the Iraqi people, but are defined by many Muslims as a Christian army that has invaded a sacred Islamic land. Our army’s presence is perceived by many in the Muslim world as a rebirth of the medieval crusades.

Second, we propose that the United States appropriate $50 billion to rebuild the towns and cities that the invasion of Iraq has left in shambles. This would be a small price to pay, considering the $2 billion we are presently spending every week in order to keep this war going.

Third, we propose that our president go before the United Nations and ask the world to forgive America for what we have done to Iraq, and how we have set back efforts for world peace. He should point out that he is asking forgiveness on behalf of almost all Americans – because we overwhelmingly lent support to the invasion of Iraq some four years ago. He should further point out that our original intentions were good! We Americans were told that we were invading in order to remove the threat of what we thought were Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

Repentance of this kind is necessary because we need to re-establish our moral standing in the world, and confessing wrongdoing is a start for doing that. It is not weakness to admit that we did wrong, especially when the whole world knows that we did. Now is the time for us to live out that verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14, which reads:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

If you are willing to support this proposal, go to www.tikkun.org/iraqpeace. You will find an expanded version of this proposal there, along with an opportunity to sign on with us. Do it now, because time is short and the days are filled with evil (Ephesians 5:16).

I’ve added my name to the list of endorsers and encourage you to do the same.

Is James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, afraid of cartoons or just the truth?

This urgent action alert came out of his office just a short time ago:

The April 15 Doonesbury comic strip took a blatantly untrue swipe at Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson – and you can help defend Dr. Dobson in your local newspaper.

The cartoon by Garry Trudeau featured a radio talk-show host "interviewing" Dr. Dobson about presidential candidates. The host notes that three of the leading Republican candidates have been married multiple times, but the leading Democratic candidates have each had only one spouse.

“Which party best represents family values?” the host asks.

“The Republicans, because they don’t support gay marriages,” the cartoon Dr. Dobson responds.

“Nor their own apparently,” the host adds sarcastically, leaving “Dr. Dobson” to bluster almost incoherently.

The allegation that Dr. Dobson would choose a political party over his principles is ludicrous. Dr. Dobson has been quite vocal about his disappointment over the moral failings of GOP candidates. If your paper runs Doonesbury, help us set the record straight by sending a letter to the editor. We’ve made it easy for you to do. Click on this link , and you’ll find paragraphs you can select and modify; no matter which paragraphs you select, the result will be a letter of no more than 200 words.

What’s the truth in all this?

Dobson has praised former House Speaker and possible presidential candidate Newt Gingrich saying he’s the "brightest guy out there" and "the most articulate politician on the scene today."

Gingrich is a serial groom who divorced two wives (he told one he wanted a divorce in her hospital room after she had surgery for cancer) whose latest bride is a former House employee he carried on an affair with while seeking to impeach Bill Clinton.

You sometimes get the feeling Dobson would want Satan himself in the White House as long as he supported a far right-wing anti-gay, anti-tax, pro-gun, anti-equal rights, pro-war agenda (something I'm sure, by the way, Satan would have no problem doing).   

With all that is going on in the world Dr. Dobson wants us to be worried about him and how he is regarded in a cartoon.  Amazing.

Now back to the real issues Americans should be concerned about…..

A must read on the nightstand of every political strategist in the country this week is the new report Changing Faiths: Latinos and the Transformation of American Religion, published by the Pew Hispanic Project and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Hispanics are one of the fastest growing demographics and many conservatives hoped to capture this segment of the population with appeals on social issues such as abortion. But immigration has become the dominant issue for Hispanic Americans and that provides an opening for more immigrant friendly Democrats.

Right now party affiliation breaks down like this:

Latino evangelicals are twice as likely as Latino Catholics to be Republicans. That is a far greater difference than exists among whites. Moreover, Hispanic conservatives who are Catholic favor the Democrats, while white conservatives consider themselves Republican regardless of religious tradition.

The Democratic Party holds a nearly three-to-one advantage among Latino Catholics who are eligible to vote (48% vs. 17% for Republicans). Because the Latino electorate is overwhelmingly Catholic (63%), Catholics represent the core of Democratic support among Latinos. Indeed, 70% of all Latino eligible voters who identify as Democrats are Catholics. Party identification among Latino evangelicals is more narrowly divided and appears to slightly favor the Republican Party. Among Hispanic eligible voters who are evangelicals, 37% say they consider themselves Republicans and 32% say they are Democrats.

But consider the complexity of issues involved as politicians seek the Hispanic vote:

Gay marriage and abortion

The difference between Hispanic evangelicals and those who adhere to other religious traditions is also reflected in views on social issues such as gay marriage and abortion. While the overwhelming majority of Latino evangelicals (86%) oppose legalizing gay marriage, Catholics are more divided. A slight majority of Catholics (52%) say they are against gay marriage, but a significant minority (32%) favors it. Similarly, Latino evangelicals are more than 20 percentage points more likely than Catholics to say that abortion should be illegal in most or all circumstances. These differences, to a striking degree, also occur among the general population.

Foreign policy

Hispanics’ views on foreign policy issues also resemble those found in the general population. Latino evangelicals, for instance, are more supportive of the war in Iraq than are other Latinos. Nearly half of evangelicals say that using force against Iraq was the right decision, compared with 31% among seculars and 27% among Catholics. Previous Pew polling reveals similar differences among the population as a whole.

The divide between evangelicals and Catholics on the war in Iraq is even more pronounced among Latinos than it is among the general population, even after controlling for partisanship. Support for the war is 28 percentage points higher among Latinos who are evangelical and Republican than among Catholic Republicans, and 16 percentage points higher among evangelical Democrats than among Catholic Democrats. Hispanic evangelicals, like their white counterparts in the general population, are very supportive of Israel. More than six-in-ten (62%) support Israel over the Palestinians, far more than among Latino Catholics or seculars (27% and 30%, respectively). Indeed, the gap between Hispanic evangelicals and Hispanic Catholics on this question is roughly three times as large as the gap between white evangelicals and white Catholics. These differences may reflect the importance of the fate of the Jewish people for evangelical theology, which foresees a prominent role for Israel — and the Middle East region more broadly — in the events that eventually will accompany the battle of Armageddon and the end of the world.

About one-third of Latinos (34%) say they sympathize with neither Israel nor the Palestinians, while 18% express no opinion on the matter. Evangelicals are less likely than other Latinos to express no opinion on this question or to say they support neither side in the conflict.

Economic issues

Regardless of religious tradition, Latinos take liberal views on economic issues, often in contrast to their conservatism on social issues. More than two-thirds (69%) of Latinos support publicly funded health insurance for all citizens, for instance, even if this results in higher taxes. On this issue, there is virtually no difference between Latino Catholics and evangelicals. By contrast, Catholics in the general population are somewhat more likely than evangelicals to endorse publicly funded health care. Similarly, almost two thirds (64%) of all Hispanics, including similar numbers of Catholics and evangelicals, say they would opt for higher taxes if the result were more government services.

Behind this support is the high level of sympathy Latinos express for the plight of the poor. Nearly two-thirds (64%), including large majorities of Catholics, evangelicals and seculars, agree that poor people have hard lives because government benefits do not go far enough; a substantially smaller majority (52%) of non- Hispanics agree with this statement. Fewer than one-in-three Hispanics, by contrast, say that poor people today have it easy because they can get government benefits without doing anything in return. Differences of opinion on economic issues are not strongly related to nationality. Puerto Ricans express less support than other groups for government-guaranteed health care, and Cubans are less favorable than others toward a large government providing many services. But there are no consistent patterns that suggest nationality leads to consistently more liberal or conservative views on economic issues.

Views on Immigration and Discrimination

Fully two-thirds (66%) of Latinos in the survey say that immigrants strengthen society, while a small but significant minority (23%) takes the opposite view. Catholic and mainline Protestants are in agreement on this question, with more than two-thirds of each saying immigrants strengthen society (67% and 69%, respectively). A somewhat lower proportion of evangelicals (59%) agree with this statement. Conversely, among evangelicals, one-in-three (33%) say immigrants threaten society, the highest number among all the religious traditions. Foreign-born Hispanics are for the most part more positive on this question than the native born. The majority of both the foreign born and the native born see immigrants as strengthening the U.S., but there are significant differences on this issue among Catholics and evangelicals. For example, almost three quarters (72%) of foreign-born Latino Catholics hold a positive view of immigrants, compared with 58% among the native born. Conversely, almost a third (32%) of native born Catholics, almost twice the rate of foreign-born Catholics (17%), say immigrants are a threat to traditional American customs or values.

If the Republicans can gain even a small number of votes from Hispanics by inflaming tensions on social issues it could cost the Democrats a close election.

Regardless of the political implications in all this there is a theological story here: Evangelical Hispanics (conservative political folks who often side with Republicans) still read the Bible and come out as economic liberals who believe society has a paramount responsibility to protect the “least of these” and are willing to use government as a vehicle for doing so. White Southern evangelicals could learn something from their Hispanic counterparts on the meaning of Jesus’ teachings. And white progressive mainliners need to do a better job of building alliances on moral issues such as the fight against poverty and immigration with Hispanic evangelicals and Roman Catholics. There is a great deal we share in common as a people of faith even as there are issues that clearly divide us.

We really shouldn't be allowed to fly.  Over the last couple of years we've been waylaid by storms of every stripe, forced to spend 24-hours in Salt Lake City, and required to take routes from one end of the country to another that could never make sense.  So it comes as no real surprise to us today to find our family stuck in Huston for the next 12 + hours on an rather extended layover.  You could blame today on Continental Airlines but I'm a little suspicious that our problems started as soon as we landed at George H.W. Bush Intercontinental Airport. 

Religious leaders in Utah got together last week to talk about organ donation. The Salt Lake Tribune reports:

When deciding whether to donate their or their loved ones' organs, many will turn to their faith to find the answer.

In an effort to encourage more donation, Intermountain Donor Services this week reminded Utahns that most mainstream religions encourage donation or leave it to the individual to decide.

''One of the biggest questions people have from time to time is, 'What does my religion feel about donation?' '' said Alex McDonald, Intermountain Donor Services spokesman.

Leaders from four religions - the LDS Church, United Church of Christ, Congregation Kol Ami and Quaker - held a news conference Tuesday to explain their faith's teachings.

All those who attended the press conference supported organ donation.

Russell Baker, pastor of a United Church of Christ in Bountiful, said his denomination "strongly" encourages donation. He is signed up to give.

"I want to continue an act of grace even in my death," he said.

Read the full article for a list of faith groups and their various positions on this issue. Click here to learn how you can become a donor.

The United Church of Christ has never been very strong in the South but that might be changing. As other denominations – such as the Southern Baptists – become more and more exclusive a need has been created for those seeking a more progressive spiritual home. This morning I had the good fortunate to worship at Garden of Grace United Church of Christ in Columbia, South Carolina (we're back in SC visiting family). This progressive congregation is one of the latest to join the UCC in the South over the past few years. South Carolina now has three UCC congregations. Garden of Grace UCC stands as a beacon of Jesus’ hope that the world be reconciled and justice centered.  My thanks to the people of Garden of Grace UCC for their Southern hospitality this morning.

Many of our family have gathered this weekend here in Columbia, SC to celebrate the 90th birthday of Rock Bright, my grandfather.  Pictured here with Rock are some of his great grand children:  Frances, Katherine, baby Taylor (just 7 weeks old), and Hanna.  Three other great grand children (Dylan, Devin and Ian are in Oregon and Washington).  Liz and I are enjoying time in this state were my family has lived since before the Revolutionary War.  The warm weather would make any Oregonian happy.      

Reprinted from United Church News

The 2008 elections need to be in part a referendum on gun violence in America.

Why? NEA/HIN relates the awful facts:

In a single year, 3,012 children and teens were killed by gunfire in the United States, according to the latest national data released in 2002. That is one child every three hours; eight children every day; and more than 50 children every week. And every year, at least 4 to 5 times as many kids and teens suffer from non-fatal firearm injuries. (Children's Defense Fund and National Center for Health Statistics)

American children are more at risk from firearms than the children of any other industrialized nation. In one year, firearms killed no children in Japan, 19 in Great Britain, 57 in Germany, 109 in France, 153 in Canada, and 5,285 in the United States. (Centers for Disease Control)

Click here for more.

The mass shooting in Virginia (one of many in the U.S. in recent years) refocuses national attention on an issue that lurks in the shadows until tragedy strikes.

The weapons used in Virginia are illegal in Canada.

If 3,000+ kids are being killed each year don’t we have a moral obligation to debate the issue of gun control and to advance proposals that increase the chances children live through school days?

And don't our churches have a special responsibility to force that debate?

Visit "God Not Guns" for information on how your church can become involved. 

Related Post:  "Virginia Tech tragedy demands gun control"

Walter Brueggemann, author of about a thousand books on the Bible, is now blogging on Theolog, the blog of The Christian Century.  He'll be offering weekly thoughts on upcoming lectionary readings.

Reprinted from United Church News

This afternoon around a hundred people representing the interfaith community from Washington County, Oregon and beyond gathered for the Community Faith Forum on Homelessness.

I was honored to deliver one of the keynote addresses.  Use the below link to download the podcast of my remarks for your iPod or personal computer.

Download OregonHomelessInterfaith.m4a

(click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

Religious groups across the United States are offering assistance to the people of Virginia Tech. Disaster News Network reports:

BLACKSBURG, VA. (April 17, 2007) — Faith-based disaster response organizations have sent staff and are offering long-term spiritual care support as Virginia Tech continues to reel from Monday's shooting rampage.

Disaster response organizations, including Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) and Lutheran Disaster Reponse (LDR), sent teams to Blacksburg. Other faith-based disaster response organizations were offering resources and support to the various congregational staff both to help counsel the public and to care for those caregivers….

As they respond, clergy were also offering their thoughts on the tragedy, including the Rev. Richard Vaught, associate conference minister of the United Church of Christ (UCC) Shenandoah Association. "...the comments of a Palestinian (VT) student on CNN this afternoon focused my feelings. He had lived in some very violent places and he said he had felt safe at Tech and in Blacksburg. Now that has changed, perhaps not forever, but for a very long time. Where is there a safe place?" Vaught wrote in an e-mail to UCC staff.

UCC has been in touch with a local congregation, Glade UCC, and counseling and assistance has been offered by the UCC National Disaster Office.

The Roanoke District of the United Methodist Church was in contact with its local churches. Carole Click, the district's office manager, said the school's Wesley Foundation provided shelter to students. "Wesley Foundation at Virginia Tech heard about the shooting within minutes after it happened, and immediately went into shutdown mode and provided a shelter for students adjacent to campus," she said. "They will continue to offer their facilities and staff to anyone in need of their services, for shelter, for use of landline phones or for counseling."

Click here for the full story.

Click here to help out the local chapter of the Red Cross.  If you live near-by they need blood.  You can also send cash.

Statement from the National Council of Churches USA

"My pastor's heart breaks for the families of those who died today," said NCC General Secretary, the Rev. Bob Edgar following today's fatal shooting at Virginia Tech University. Edgar also renewed the NCC's call for meaningful legislation to prevent such gun violence. "Faith leaders have spoken up continually about the epidemic of gun violence in our country," Edgar said. "Despite repeated calls from faith and community leaders to Congress and presidents nothing ever seems to get done to stem the tide."  Edgar, himself a former Member of Congress, lamented that the issue of gun violence seems to get such little attention from those who have the power to do something about it. "How many more will have to die before we say enough is enough?  How many more senseless deaths will have to be counted before we enact meaningful firearms control in this country?  How many more of our pastors, rabbis and imams will have to preside over caskets of innocent victims of gun violence because a nation refused to stop the proliferation of these small weapons of mass destruction?," said Edgar. More.

Note:  Toby Harnden from The Daily Telegraph (UK) is linking to this post today in his on-line column,  Welcome to all our UK visitors.

UPDATE:  After Virginia Tech Churches Need To Jump Start Gun Control Debate  

It has been reported that as many as twenty students at Virginia Tech were killed this morning in two shootings. Let us pray for the Virginia Tech community and the families of those killed and wounded.

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.
¹The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
²   He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters; 
³   he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
  for his name's sake.
⁴Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
  I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me.
⁵You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
   my whole life long.

This morning at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ our Scripture readings during worship included Psalm 150 and John 20:19-31.

Use the below link to download the podcast of my sermon for your iPod or personal computer.

Download ParkroseEaster2.m4a

(click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

Global poverty is one of the most pressing issues faced by humanity.  At the forefront of tackling third-word debt - one of the leading economic causes of poverty - is Jubilee USA.  Check out "Blog the Debt" for updated information on their work.

From the National Council of Churches USA

The Arts Within Religion,' a CBS interfaith religion special, will be  released Sunday, April 22 to television affiliates across the nation as part of the network's quarterly Religion and Culture series. The program is produced by CBS in cooperation with Interfaith Broadcasting Commission, whose members  include the National Council of Churches USA, The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, The Islamic Society of North America, Union for Reform Judaism and the New York Board of Rabbis. Included in the special is a profile of an Islamic Hip-Hop group called Native Deen, who use rap music to promote a message of tolerance and understanding while maintaining their religious and cultural identity. The members, Joshua Salaam, Naeem Muhammad and Abdul-Malik Ahmad call themselves "Native Deen" drawing from the Arabic word "deen" meaning "religion."  Their music and lyrics are meant to inspire peace among Muslims and non-Muslims alike. More.

Good news for all of Portland. From The Oregonian website:

The City of Portland gave its OK on Wednesday for Planned Parenthood to relocate its regional headquarters on a city-owned lot along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The Portland Development Commission, the city's urban renewal agency, sided with supporters who say the neighborhood needs Planned Parenthood's sex education programs, 140 jobs and high-end building on a boulevard that's still lined with vacant lots and chain link fences.

But the commission overruled emotional opponents - who range from nearby African American church leaders to white suburbanites - who had moral and religious objections to Planned Parenthood's plan to provide abortions on MLK.

I was able to testify at the hearing. Sitting with me were The Rev. Lynne Smouse López and The Rev. Cecil  Prescod, both of Ainsworth United Church of Christ in Northeast Portland. They also offered words of support for Planned Parenthood.

The Rev. W.G. Hardy, pastor of Highland Christian Center (United Church of Christ), helped to led opposition to Planned Parenthood.

Most of the testimony was tense. Oregon Right to Life claimed that Planned Parenthood had a secret plan to exterminate all African Americans.

Carolyn Wendell from Voice of Catholics Advocating Life said of Planned Parenthood: "They are rich white people who say that they love the blacks, who give them the name of a street and then kill their children. I don't think that's appropriate, so I'm really upset by that."

That is paranoid nonsense, of course, and in the end more progressive voices prevailed:

While black church leaders oppose the abortions, others supported the clinic.

Paul Knauls Sr., owner of Geneva's Shear Perfection on MLK and an African American Alliance member, wants to see the grassy lot redeveloped. The Rev. Chuck Currie from Parkrose Community United Church of Christ in outer Northeast Portland backed the abortion services.

Currie said his predecessor served on Planned Parenthood's board and the United Church of Christ's official position is pro-choice.

"We should reject any attempts by those who would insist that their religious views on abortion should supersede the religious freedom of others who come to a different conclusion," Currie wrote.

The Oregonian's coverage would have been slightly more accurate on this point to say that “some” black church leaders opposed Planned Parenthood because other black church leaders spoke in favor of it today or wrote letters of support.

In the end, Planned Parenthood's move and expansion of services will benefit the entire city.

UPDATE:  Here's a link to the final version of the story that ran this morning in The Oregonian.  You'll note that in the final print edition the reporter changed the line "While black church leaders oppose the abortions, others supported the clinic."  It now reads:  "While some black civic and church leaders opposed the abortions, others supported the clinic."  That one re-rewrite was important and the author deserves credit for his accuracy.   

This afternoon the Portland Development Commission will hold a hearing to consider a proposal made by Planned Parenthood of the Columbia / Willamette to move their operations to a new facility in NE Portland with expanded services. The proposal has drawn some protest from a few local religious leaders opposed to abortion. Below is the testimony that I intend to deliver in favor of Planned Parenthood.

Members of the Commission:

My name is Rev. Chuck Currie. I am a resident of NE Portland’s Grant Park neighborhood and the interim minister of Parkrose Community United Church of Christ, also located in NE Portland.

Planned Parenthood provides vital services for our community. It is imperative that they be able to provide those services and expand their operations. Planned Parenthood’s programs work to prevent disease, reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies through effective family planning, and provide needed educational programs for young people to help them make responsible decisions about sexual activity.

The United Church of Christ has always been a pro-choice denomination.

Our official policy on reproductive health states:

God has given us life, and life is sacred and good. God has also given us the responsibility to make decisions which reflect a reverence for life in circumstances when conflicting realities are present. Jesus affirmed women as full partners in the faith, capable of making decisions that affect their lives.

If the full range of options available to women concerning reproductive health are compromised, then women’s moral agency and ability to make decisions consistent with their faith are compromised. Furthermore, poor women should have equal access to full reproductive health services, including abortion and information on family planning.

The United Church of Christ has affirmed and re-affirmed since 1971 that access to safe and legal abortion is consistent with a woman’s right to follow the dictates of her own faith and beliefs in determining when and if she should have children, and has supported comprehensive sexuality education as one measure to prevent unwanted or unplanned pregnancies. (General Synods VIII, IX, XI, XII, XIII, XVI, XVII, and XVIII)

While the majority of the members of the United Church of Christ are both pro-choice and pro-family planning that does not mean our entire membership shares the same view. We have a unique system of church polity. There is no Pope and there are no Bishops who can tell local congregations or individuals what to believe on these issues. We are free as Christians in the United Church of Christ to come to our own conclusions about moral issues. Parkrose Community United Church of Christ, for example, does not have an official position on abortion but many of our members are supportive of Planned Parenthood and my predecessor in the pulpit served on their board of directors.

I believe that model is a good one for us to use here today. Some do not want Planned Parenthood to expand because of their sincere and deeply held opposition to abortion. But we should reject any attempts by those who would insist that their religious views on abortion should supersede the religious freedom of others who come to a different conclusion.

As a citizen of Portland, I implore you to support Planned Parenthood.

Related Link:  Religious Organizations Support Reproductive Choice

UPDATE:  PDC Backs Planned Parenthood

Faithfully Liberal, which after having interviewing me, has to settle on Pastor Dan, creator of Street Prophets, as their latest interviewee.  All kidding aside, Dan is great.  Go read what he has to say and them come back here and I'll offer up what he should of said.   

Press Release from Oregon Center for Christian Values

BEAVERTON – The Oregon Center for Christian Values is presenting a conference called “7 Days of Creation Care” at Oak Hills Church in Beaverton, on Saturday, April 14. The conference is a response to the rapidly emerging Christian movement to care for the environment not only out of ecological concern for nature, but also out of a desire to follow the biblical call to care for all God’s creation.

Scripture tells Christians that not only was the earth created by God (Genesis 1), but that “since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities -his eternal power and divine nature -have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). Caring for creation is part of honoring God.

The purpose of this conference is to bring together local Christians to discuss and reflect on the biblical response to concerns about the environment as God’s creation. The keynote speaker for the event, Peter Illyn, a minister and the founder of Restoring Eden, has been a leading figure in the national movement for creation care. He says of the emerging Christian voice for the environment: “There is a revolution happening. We see it on campuses and we see it in churches. For many, many years we have spent our time defending the fact that Christians should care for creation. It’s no longer a question of why should Christians care, but how should Christians care.”

One of the most compelling aspects of “creation care” is that it provides a Christian voice for a traditionally secular issue. Numerous pastors, theologians, politicians, business leaders, and students have joined together to form the Evangelical Climate Initiative, calling on action to reduce global warming. Most recently, Richard Cizik, the head of government affairs at the National Association of Evangelicals, has made national headlines and appeared on CNN, MSNBC, ABC and PBS calling on Christians to make environmental advocacy a part of Christian ministry.

The conference will be a full day, including worship, the keynote address, a panel on both the theological and ecological aspects of creation care, and breakaway sessions that will give Christians practical tools for environmental stewardship. The event will kick-off with 7 days of Christian meditation on creation, ending with a Creation Day celebration on Sunday, April 22. Participants will be given “7 Days of Creation” prayer guides with scripture and meditation for each day.

The creator of the event, the Oregon Center for Christian Values, is a network of active Christian citizens, working together to promote Christ-centered values for the common good, such as care for the poor, care for the sick and care for God’s creation. They are hosting the event in collaboration with a local partner, Oak Hills Church.

Other featured speakers at the event include Jenny Holmes, director of environmental ministries at Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, Pastor Les Zollbrecht, founder of the Mountain Leadership Institute, Gene Dykema, a Christian economist and author of several books on creation care, Maureen Beezhold from the Northwest Earth Institute, and Brian Swarts, Program Director of the Oregon Center for Christian Values.

There has been a ground swell of support in recent weeks in Oregon for a possible Peter DeFazio campaign in 2008 for the United States Senate. Incumbent Oregon Republican Gordon Smith, a strong supporter of President Bush’s Iraq War until the mid-term ’06 elections that saw large scale Republican defeats, is considered vulnerable.

Should DeFazio run? I hope he will. Throughout his career in the U.S. House of Representatives he has been a strong progressive voice for economic justice and sensible foreign policy goals. He has been a leader in the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Unlike many in Congress, DeFazio has demonstrated that he’ll vote his conscience and not simply take a poll to see which way the political winds are blowing. He opposed the Iraq War from the start and that vote, though not popular with many at the time, showed that he has more insight into foreign policy than most of Congress.

His only major blind spot: immigration reform. DeFazio has been a supporter of some of the worst anti-immigrant legislation introduced in Congress. If he ran an anti-immigrant campaign for the Senate, there is a good chance he’d lose my support.

On the whole, however, I have always thought Peter DeFazio was a person of real integrity. Oregon would benefit from his leadership as a United States Senator.

Visit the Draft DeFazio for Senate website for more information on how you can help bring Peter DeFazio into the race.

Disclaimer: From time to time I feel it necessary to remind readers that views expressed on this site are personal. At no time is this truer then when I make endorsements in partisan political campaigns. The church is rightfully prohibited from engaging in partisan efforts. Clergy, however, are free like all citizens to express their personal opinion on races.

This morning at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ we celebrated the Resurrection during our Easter Service.  The New Testament reading was John 20:1-18.

Use the below link to download the podcast of my sermon for your iPod or personal computer.

Download ParkroseEaster.m4a

(click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

My sermon notes are also below:

What do we want to take away from this moment?

Together we join in celebration and give praise to God for the gift of new life. For the Disciples and other original followers of Jesus the meaning of Resurrection must have been obvious: Jesus, taken and killed by the Roman Empire was a child of God – a God more influential than any human empire - and when Jesus appeared anew to his followers after the crucifixion it was confirmation to them that not even death could separate them from the power and love of God.

God did not – and does not – wield power with the all too human interests of control and dominance as paramount desires. God seeks rather to reconcile us to God and to one another and to use us to build up God’s Kingdom. And what does the Kingdom look like? It is a place where (as we read in Isaiah 11:6-9 NRSV):

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

That is to say the Kingdom is a place of peace and justice, a place that is opposite from the human order – then and now. Today you might say the Kingdom is a place where the Palestinians and the Israelis, or we Americans and the Taliban, would live together in peace as brothers and sisters, all reconciled.

For some, all you need to know (or believe) about Easter is contained in an ancient creed – like the Apostles’ Creed, which reads (and I bet some of you can even cite this passage from memory):

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.

For us as a modern people it is sometimes difficult to believe in a literal bodily resurrection and if you come here today with doubts about whether or not the physically literally took place you are not alone.

Some churches, of course, demand fidelity to the creeds or a certain understanding of theology. In many churches simply to open up a debate over the meaning of resurrection would be considered heresy. If we were, for example, in a Southern Baptist (or any other more theologically conservative) congregation this morning the pastor would most likely be preaching that you need to believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus to be a Christian.

In fact, last year Albert Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote that:

“belief in the bodily resurrection is not merely foundational, according to Scripture, it is essential. As Paul argues in Romans 10:9, the Gospel comes down to this: "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

The Gospel comes down to this? That’s it? For Dr. Mohler strict adherence to human doctrine has replaced divine wisdom.

First, let me say that Albert Mohler probably misinterprets Paul. Paul, like all those who encountered the risen Jesus, encountered something that was not merely human. The risen Jesus could go unnoticed and walk through walls. Paul, in fact, says in Galatians 1:15-16 “that God had chose to ‘reveal his son in me,’” as translated by New Testament scholar Stephen Patterson in The God of Jesus.

More importantly, I’d argue to you this Easter morning that what form the resurrection took place in is less important than the fact that it took place and what it symbolizes. Did people encounter the Risen Jesus? Did Mary Magdalene and the Disciples see Jesus and speak with him that first Easter morning as we read in Scripture today? Of that, I have no doubt.

As Dr. Patterson writes:

The claim that God raised Jesus from the dead is not presented in the New Testament as a historical reality, but as a rupture in history. That is the point of the earthquakes and the darkening skies, the general chaos and disordering that comes as part of the gospels’ accounts of Jesus’ death. Here the steady march of history is broken. The resurrection is presented as God’s breaking into history in order to redeem a life prematurely ended by historical forces and, in so doing, to redeem history itself from its demonic rebellion against God made know in that gracious, gentle life. History says that Jesus’ life and work came to an end. Christian faith claims that it did not. Herein lies the decision of Christian faith. (Patterson, The God of Jesus, p. 238)

What prompted Dr. Mohler to make his statement that only a belief in the bodily resurrection would do was his angst about a statement made by Anglican (and noted orthodox theologian) N. T. Wright. Bishop Wright had said, in a 2006 newspaper interview concerning Marcus Borg, the Oregon State University New Testament scholar, that:

Marcus Borg really does not believe Jesus Christ was bodily raised from the dead. But I know Marcus well: he loves Jesus and believes in him passionately. The philosophical and cultural world he has lived in has made it very, very difficult for him to believe in the bodily resurrection. I actually think that's a major problem and it affects most of whatever else he does, and I think that it means he has all sorts of flaws as a teacher, but I don't want to say he isn't a Christian.

Dr. Mohler huffs and puffs. He can hardly stand what Wright is saying. Mohler demands: “How then can Bishop Wright even entertain the notion that (Borg) is a genuine Christian?”

I find fault with Bishop Wright’s adherence to orthodoxy as much as I find Dr. Mohler’s infatuation with fundamentalism distasteful. But here is the difference: Bishop Wright approaches his theology with humility. He is - no question about it - certain about his beliefs. Yet he does not assume so much as to be able to strip those he disagrees with of their title as Christians. Bishop Wright has a generous heart and from that all of us so certain about our own beliefs can learn a lesson.

In the end, tests of faith are less important than our testimonies of faith…the ways we live out the Gospel teachings

As convinced as I am that the Disciples and others encounter the Risen Jesus just after the crucifixion, I am certain that we can encounter him today. Easter is an on-going experience. We encounter Jesus in worship, during prayer, through stories in Scripture, and through music.

“Death is natural. Loss is natural. Grief is natural,” writes Barbara Brown Taylor. “ But those stones have been rolled away this happy morning, to reveal the highly unnatural truth. By the light of this day, God has planted a seed of life in us that cannot be killed, and if we remember that then there is nothing we cannot do: move mountains, banish fear, love our enemies, change the world.” (Barbara Brown Taylor, Home By Another Way, pg. 111-112)

The Risen Jesus had one message for his first followers: preach!

Jesus lived a truly authentic life that expressed for us in tangible ways what being in relationship with God meant and what the Kingdom should be about. His life was about preparing humanity for a life that could be better, one centered in love of God, and the Risen Jesus called out his Disciples to carry forth with that work. Even now, we are called forth to build up the Kingdom, that peaceable place we read about in Isaiah were all of creation lives in harmony.

Too often we make the mistake of thinking we can rest because we are saved. Such thinking ignores that Jesus himself prays to God that “thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” What we do here matters and if in this age of war and global warming you doubt that for a moment look into the eyes of the children here today. Today matters! Today matters!

What do we want to take away from this moment?

We can be joyful that even in death we are not abandoned by God but are in fact called to everlasting life.

We can be awed by the mystery of faith and thankful we have others to journey with us.

And we can walk away from this place once again hearing God’s call to us to be a people out in the world preaching of the coming Kingdom.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

Amen.

John 20:1-18 (NRSV)

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. Jesus Appears to Mary MagdaleneBut Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." ’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Need a place to worship for Easter this morning?  Join us at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ at 10 am (directions and more info if you follow the link).   

Press Release from the National Council of Churches USA

Cleveland, Ohio, March 21, 2007 – "Joy Dawned Again," an Easter TV special, will air on many ABC-TV stations on or near Easter Sunday, April 8.

(Note: The program will air here in Portland on KATU at 5 am - for other listings around the country click here.)

The hour-long special, produced for the National Council of Churches USA (NCC) by the United Church of Christ (UCC), was filmed on March 3 at Dover Congregational UCC in Westlake, Ohio. It included a diverse congregation comprised of Dover UCC members and others from across the UCC's Western Reserve Association.

About 200 people, including a 35-member choir, took part in the filming, an experience described by many as transforming.

"Everyone just belted out the singing and the responses," said Jean Robinson, UCC video producer. "I've never had the experience of being in a church where everyone did that."

Religious documentaries and specials air on the three major TV networks under an arrangement with the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission (IBC) of which the NCC is a founding member.

"The whole experience actually worked as worship, and we did it all in one take," said the Rev. Cliff Aerie, the UCC's minister for special events, creativity and the arts. "People really did have a worshipful experience."

The UCC's worship special focuses on a picturesque UCC congregation as it gathers on Easter Sunday morning. Before long, the worshipers experience the power of the resurrection in unexpected ways as current reality intersects with the ancient narrative.

Seven years ago, the UCC produced a similar Easter morning special that aired on about 90 percent of ABC-TV stations, says the Rev. Robert Chase, the UCC's communications director and chair of the NCC's communication commission.

Click here for the full press release.

Today is one of those rainy spring days where you just want to sing out "Oregon, My Oregon!"

We went to the Oregon Zoo with my sisters and their families for the annual zoo Easter Egg hunt (a day early, I know).  Attendance was sparse.  Only the real true blue Oregonians made it out.  Tom McCall Oregonians.  We had a good time.

Frances & Katherine with their cousins Dylan, Devin & Ian at the Zoo

Need a place to worship tomorrow for Easter?  Join us at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ at 10 am (directions and more info if you follow the link).

Join the people of Parkrose Community United Church of Christ for Easter Worship this Sunday (April 8th) at 10 am.  The church is located on the corner of NE 105th and Wygant (map) in Portland.  All are welcome.  Call 503-253-5457 or e-mail for more information.

Our faith is 2,000 years old.  Our thinking is not. 

John 18:1-19:42 (NRSV)

18After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. ²Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. ³So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. ⁴Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, ‘For whom are you looking?’ ⁵They answered, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus replied, ‘I am he.’ Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. ⁶When Jesus^* said to them, ‘I am he’, they stepped back and fell to the ground. ⁷Again he asked them, ‘For whom are you looking?’ And they said, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ ⁸Jesus answered, ‘I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.’ ⁹This was to fulfil the word that he had spoken, ‘I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.’ ¹⁰Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. ¹¹Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?’

12 So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. ¹³First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. ¹⁴Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people.

15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, ¹⁶but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. ¹⁷The woman said to Peter, ‘You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ¹⁸Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing round it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.

19 Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. ²⁰Jesus answered, ‘I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. ²¹Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.’ ²²When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, ‘Is that how you answer the high priest?’ ²³Jesus answered, ‘If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?’ ²⁴Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, ‘You are not also one of his disciples, are you?’ He denied it and said, ‘I am not.’ ²⁶One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, ‘Did I not see you in the garden with him?’ ²⁷Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.

28 Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. ²⁹So Pilate went out to them and said, ‘What accusation do you bring against this man?’ ³⁰They answered, ‘If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.’ ³¹Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.’ The Jews replied, ‘We are not permitted to put anyone to death.’ ³²(This was to fulfil what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)

33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ ³⁴Jesus answered, ‘Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?’ ³⁵Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?’ ³⁶Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ ³⁷Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’ ³⁸Pilate asked him, ‘What is truth?’

After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, ‘I find no case against him. ³⁹But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?’ ⁴⁰They shouted in reply, ‘Not this man, but Barabbas!’ Now Barabbas was a bandit.

19Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. ²And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. ³They kept coming up to him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and striking him on the face. ⁴Pilate went out again and said to them, ‘Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.’ ⁵So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, ‘Here is the man!’ ⁶When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.’ ⁷The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.’

8 Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. ⁹He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, ‘Where are you from?’ But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰Pilate therefore said to him, ‘Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?’ ¹¹Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.’ ¹²From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, ‘If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.’

13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. ¹⁴Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, ‘Here is your King!’ ¹⁵They cried out, ‘Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but the emperor.’ ¹⁶Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus; ¹⁷and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. ¹⁸There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. ¹⁹Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth,^* the King of the Jews.’ ²⁰Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, ‘Do not write, “The King of the Jews”, but, “This man said, I am King of the Jews.” ’ ²²Pilate answered, ‘What I have written I have written.’ ²³When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. ²⁴So they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.’ This was to fulfil what the scripture says,
‘They divided my clothes among themselves,
   and for my clothing they cast lots.’
²⁵And that is what the soldiers did.

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ ²⁷Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfil the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’ ²⁹A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. ³⁰When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31 Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. ³²Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. ³³But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. ³⁵(He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows^* that he tells the truth.) ³⁶These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, ‘None of his bones shall be broken.’ ³⁷And again another passage of scripture says, ‘They will look on the one whom they have pierced.’

38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. ³⁹Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. ⁴⁰They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴²And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. 

This bit of news came in yesterday:

Northwest Progressive Institute is pleased to present the 2006 David Neiwert Awards to honor the achievements and accomplishments of the Pacific Northwest's most active progressive bloggers this past year. This is the second year of the awards, which we hope to continue to make an annual and celebrated tradition.

The awards are named for David Neiwert, a freelance journalist and the founder of one of the Northwest's most respected blogs, Orcinus, which has been on the Web since the beginning of 2003 and is syndicated on Pacific NW Portal. Besides writing Orcinus, Mr. Neiwert has reported for MSNBC.com and has also penned several oustanding books, including Strawberry Days, Death on the Fourth of July, and In God's Country.

My own blog was named as one of the award winners:

Most Valuable Faith Perspective

A leading American advocate for the homeless, the Reverend Chuck Currie of Portland is the ardent author behind a fascinating blog focusing on the United Church of Christ, ecumenical issues, faith, and politics. He thoughtfully presents a progressive viewpoint on controversial issues such as immigration, prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and stem cell research. Commentary on current events is integrated with useful references to Scripture, and multimedia is frequently embedded (such as videos and podcast sermons). The seamless blend of Christian teachings with progressive values is refreshing and invigorating. Chuck's perspective as a minister is invaluable and his words of wisdom are uplifting to progressives of all faiths. Besides writing his own blog, he participates in an offshoot of the DailyKos community (Street Prophets). We're thankful that Chuck takes so much time out his life to share his spirituality through the revolutionary medium of the Internet.

Many thanks to the Northwest Progressive Institute for this recognition.

The people of Parkrose Community United Church of Christ joined in fellowship and worship tonight to commemorate Maundy Thursday (when we remember the Last Supper Jesus shared with his Disciples). Our New Testament reading was John 13:1-17, 31b-35. My meditation notes are below:

My earliest thoughts about the Disciples (or memories concerning stories about them) are that they were sort of bumbling fools. They never understood Jesus. Over and over again Jesus tried to instruct them and over and over again they failed to understand.

Of course, as the years march on I’m all too aware of the failures that have accumulated in my own life – those times when I have failed to do as God wants. All of us fail from time to time. We are, after all, just human.

In fact, each week during Sunday services we offer up our confessions to God.

God, I’m sorry that I didn’t see your face in the homeless man I passed up on the street today. God, I’m sorry that hatred crept into my heart…or jealousy…or pride. God, I’m sorry that by Tuesday morning I’d forgotten all those promises I made to you on Sunday in worship.

So when, as we heard in our reading this evening from the Gospel of John, Jesus tells the Disciples that all they need to do is love, I get a little frustrated. Love came so easily to Jesus. He was truly his father’s son.

The problem for me is that I’m my father’s son and love didn’t always come easily to him. And I know from some of your stories that there have been times in your lives were love has not been offered up freely to you either. It becomes easier for us to build up walls, to shut down, even to offer up hate then it is to freely offer the kind of unconditional love that Jesus presented.

So what do we do? Well, we simply keep trying. We admit we are no better then the Disciples and that we – like them – have something to learn from Jesus.

Finding ways to truly love – to love your spouse, or your child, a parent, a friend…even your church and your God – is something that takes practice. When we love we open ourselves up to the possibility we will be hurt. The flip side of that is that when we love it brings us closer to the divine. And we are fortunate that God’s grace is available. Because even when we fail God we know that God never abandons us. We are God’s children as well.

Visit BlueOregon to read my guest column: Progressive Christians, and the role of faith in politics.

This video on Iraq (which I found on the WW website) uses the words from Rev. King's Riverside sermon on Vietnam with images from the current conflict. It is powerful.

Related Link: A Podcast Sermon: War Is Contrary to the Will of God

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has set up a new website - Religion and Politics 2008 - that reviews candidate positions on various political issues important to religious voters and poll numbers among different religious groups.  This will be a good site to keep watching as the campaign marches on.

This week I decided to support Ruth Adkins in her bid to join the Portland School Board. Ruth is a long-time activist for education issues and would bring a unique perspective to the board as someone who has fought in the trenches for school funding on various campaigns. She has also served as a PTA president and is the mother of three children currently attending schools in the district. Ruth is the only non-incumbent to receive an endorsement from Stand for Children. I’m impressed by her understanding of the need to increase enrollment in the city’s schools through efforts that help retain families with young children in our increasingly expensive housing market (a cause taken on by Portland City Commissioner Erik Sten). Join me in voting for Ruth Adkins. Election Day is May 15th.

Below is a copy of a letter that I e-mailed this morning to Portland Police Chief Rosie Sizer:

Dear Chief Sizer:

Robert Kennedy once said that "every society gets the kind of criminal it deserves. What is equally true is that every community gets the kind of law enforcement it insists on."

Today it was reported in The Oregonian and elsewhere that the Portland Police Bureau is considering removing the requirement that officers hold an associates degree.

Demanding that our police officers in Portland hold at least an associates degree helps us to ensure that this community has officers that are mature and professional. It was a mistake for the bureau to undo the previous mandate that officers hold a bachelors degree. Moving even further away from the goal of an educated police force is a terrible mistake.

Formal education does not solve all problems and some people are able to excel without a formal education. But a college education at least provides exposure to a wide range of belief systems along with understandings of history and social science vital to the true success of any public servant.

I understand that having high standards makes it sometimes difficult to find candidates for the Portland Police Bureau. We should consider that a good problem to have. I'd rather live in a city were I can trust that our police are highly qualified then to live in a city where I fear that a formal education ended for sworn officers at the age of 18.

You will lose hard earned trust from the people of Portland if you move in this direction.

Sincerely,

The Rev. Chuck Currie

Related LinK: God Vs. Rome

(The above image is taken from the Churches Advertising Network in the UK.  It was used in a 1999 Easter campaign).

Today at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ our Scripture readings included Isaiah 50:4-9a and Luke 19:28-40.  There is no podcast of the sermon this morning but my sermon notes are below. 

There were two processions into Jerusalem on the day that Jesus arrived.

From one side of the city came Jesus, the Son of Man, and his followers.

From the other side of the city came Pilate, the Roman governor.

“Jesus’ procession proclaimed the kingdom of God; Pilates proclaimed the power of empire,” write Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan in their book The Last Week.

Their entrances could not have been more different.

Jesus, riding on a donkey, openly mocked the power of the Roman Empire. He was greeted by other Jews with open affection and support. The Gospel of Mark recounts that his fellow Jews shouted with abandon:

Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven! (Mark 11:9-10 NRSV)

The Gospel of Luke tells us that the people spread their cloaks on the road (a great sign of respect). Clearly, the people of Jerusalem were excited that their champion had arrived.

Pilate’s arrival must have elicited a different reaction. Borg and Crossan write:

Imagine the imperial procession’s arrival in the city. A visual panoply of imperial power: cavalry on horses, foot soldiers, leather armor, helmets, weapons, banners, golden eagles mounted on poles, sun glinting on mental and gold. Sounds: the marching of feet, the creaking of leather, the clinking of bridles, the beating of drums. The swirling of dust. The silent eyes of onlookers, some curious, some awed, some resentful.

It was inevitable that a clash between Jesus and the Romans would occur. Rome occupied Jerusalem and ruled with an iron fist. Dissent was not tolerated. The Roman Empire was not evil in the same way that say the Germany Third Reich was. But it was evil in the way that all civilizations that rule with military power to benefit the wealthy at the expense of the “least of these” are. And that, brothers and sisters, would include every great empire to have ever ruled the world – even our own in this moment of history.

Jesus stood in opposition to everything Roman: their economic system, their military dominance, their violent oppression of the people. And while Jesus had the support of the Jewish people (remember how they welcomed him) he also challenged the authority of those minority of Jewish leaders who openly collaborated with the Romans. After entering Jerusalem he visited the Temple where he protested the worship practices, echoing the words of God (spoken to temple worshippers in the Book of Jeremiah):

If you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly with one another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever…Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? (Jeremiah 7:5-7II)

On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus had told his followers:

See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; 34they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him… (Mark 10:33-34 NRSV)

He knew the risks of entering Jerusalem but still he went. He knew that his message was a threat both to Rome and to the collaborators running the Temple. But Jesus knew that God had called him to be a teacher and a prophet and from that challenge he could not simply walk away. So with full knowledge of the risk he was taking Jesus organized a procession into Jerusalem that was contemptible of the Romans, a powerful symbol of hope to the Jewish masses living under occupation, and a danger to those religious authorities who had abandoned their loyalty to God in favor of Rome.

And as the knives came out and the Disciples began to fracture and (eventually) flee, Jesus continued to teach.

The “scribes and the chief priests” (the collaborators) wanted to help Rome immediately to dispose of Jesus but because of his popularity with the Jewish people they were initially unable to arrest him. So they tried to trick Jesus into giving them enough evidence to support their belief that Jesus was a dangerous revolutionary. Consider the story in Luke 20:21-26 (NRSV):

21So they asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. 22Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ 23But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, 24‘Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?’ They said, ‘The emperor’s.’ 25He said to them, ‘Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ 26And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, they became silent.

If you’ve ever wanted to know the reason the people were so amazed by this answer (or needed evidence of how smart Jesus was) it helps to know a little of the background of this story. As we read in The Last Week:

The spokesmen of the authorities set the trip skillfully. Either answer would get Jesus in trouble. If Jesus were to answer no, he could be charged with sedition. If he were to answer yes, he risked discrediting himself with the crowd, who for both economic and religious reasons resented Roman rule and taxation. Most likely, this was the primary purpose of the question: to separate Jesus from the crowd by leading him into an unpopular response.

Jesus’ response is masterful. As he did in the question about authority, he turns the situation back on his opponents. He sets a counter trap when he asks to see a denarius. A denarius was a silver coin equal to approximately a day’s wage. His interrogators produce one. Jesus looks at it then asks,” Whose head is this, and whose title?”…We all know their answer: “The emperor’s.”

Jesus’ strategy has led his questioners to disclose to the crowd that they have a coin with Caesar’s image on it. In this moment, they are discredited. Why? In the Jewish homeland in the first century, there were two types of coins. One type, because of the Jewish prohibition of graven images, had no human or animal images. The second type (including Roman coinage) had images.

The interrogators are exposed as being collaborators carrying Rome’s money.

And what does Jesus mean when he says: “Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s”? Borg and Crossan write further that:

For Jesus and many of his Jewish contemporaries, everything belongs to God….What belongs to Caesar? The implication is nothing.

A great empire is bearing down on Jesus, the collaborators are at his feet trying to get Jesus to make just one mistake that will provide Rome with the excuse it needs to pounce and how does Jesus respond? Non-violently. With wit and compassion. He does not raise an army. Jesus changes the rules of the debate and further discredits Rome while at the same time further illuminating the will of God.

Jesus is asked: What is the Greatest Commandment?

29Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” 31The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’

Pilate would have answered that obedience to Creaser was the greatest commandment and those who heard Jesus say that love of God and love of neighbor were the greatest commandments surely would have heard these statements as challenges to the Roman understanding of how the world worked – and as a direct challenge to imperial authority.

We know how this story ends. In the dark of night the Romans come for Jesus. They cannot take him during day light because they fear the Jewish people will revolt. Jesus is put on trial and convicted, crucified, and when all hope seems lost the Risen Jesus returns to tell his followers that the story is not yet over. In the end, even the powerful Roman Empire must bow down before the power and glory of God.

Don’t we face a similar choice today? A choice between the Kingdom of God and the empire of man?

If today here in Portland we had a choice of two parades, one touting the Empires of today and the other proclaiming God’s Kingdom, which would we attend? Let us pray for one another that we become what it is we hope deep in our hearts to be: a people of God who follow the Greatest Commandment and who yell out even today to Jesus:

Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!